In June it was announced that Birmingham had made an initial cut of cities seeking to host World Cup play, which is one of the largest international events in sport.

At that time, the USA Bid Committee announced that it had issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to officials representing 37 U.S. cities that have qualified as potential host cities. And while Birmingham was one of them, the city's bid included the proposed multi-purpose facility near the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, the Birmingham News reported.

"We, of course, have submitted Legion Field as the venue," Alabama Sports Foundation CEO Gene Hallman told the Birmingham News, "but we have also added verbiage about the possibility of a new facility that would be constructed well before 2018 or 2022 that could be used as the venue of choice."